This invention relates to a process for the production of a powder for use in the manufacture of milk chocolate.
In one traditional process known as dry mixing, milk chocolate is produced from a mixture of milk powder, sugar, cocoa mass and cocoa butter which forms a crude chocolate mixture. This mixture is finely ground and the resulting powder is refined and liquefied by kneading in conches. The chocolate mass is then conditioned and moulded. The crude chocolate mixture has to have the lowest possible residual moisture content so that it can be satisfactorily worked in the conches and to ensure that the paste has the appropriate rheological properties for moulding and demoulding. To achieve this result, the milk is dried in a thin layer on heated rollers which damages its proteins and causes a loss of the milk flavour.
In another known process, the crude chocolate consists of so-called crumb, sugar and cocoa butter. The crumb is the product obtained by drying in vacuo and then grinding a mixture of cocoa mass and sweetened condensed milk. This product gives the chocolate a caramelized, fruity, non-milk flavour.
The processes mentioned above involve prolonged conching over a period of 24 to 48 hours.
Another known process, illustrated for example by GBPS 783,861, is distinguished from the preceding processes by the fact that the cocoa mass and the sugar are mixed with fresh milk in the presence of lecithin, after which the emulsified liquid mixture is dried in the form of a film on heated rollers. The intimate mixture of the principal components of the chocolate in liquid form should enable the organoleptic qualities of the chocolate to be improved while preserving the milk flavour.
It has been found that the roller drying process causes a loss of the volatile cocoa aromas, a loss of the nutritional value of the milk proteins by Maillard reaction and gelatinization of the cocoa starch which has adverse effects on the rheology of the chocolate. The chocolate obtained is insipid.